Lenahan (Gonzales) v. United States of America: The Domestication of International Law

While other international cases have situated domestic violence as a human rights violation, Lenahan v. United States is the first individual complaint by a victim of domestic violence to be brought against the United States for a failure to enforce a mandatory protective order. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ decision in favor of Ms. Lenahan confirms a state responsibility, rooted in international law, to protect individuals from so-called private violence. The decision of the Inter-American Commission stands in stark contrast to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the same facts in the case of Castle Rock v. Gonzales, in which the Court held that Ms. Lenahan’s constitutional rights had not been violated because individuals do not have personal entitlement to police enforcement of a protective order.
The symposium will explore the multiple dimensions of these related cases, including implications both in the United States and abroad. The Symposium will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the influential American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy and the Law.

Presented by The Women in the Law Program & the Journal of Gender, Social Policy and the Law

(3 credit hours) will be applied for as requested to different states.CLE Accreditation - $ 165.00

For further information, please contact:
Office of Special Events & Continuing Legal Education
American University Washington College of Law
Phone: 202.274.4075; Fax: 202.274.4079; or secle@wcl.american.edu